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E 6 VERPACKUNGS-RUNDSCHAU VR interpack 2014 Special
PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY
■ The bars, which are primary-packaged as
fl ow packs, are fi rst grouped into 6, 10, 12
or 14-item bundles and inserted into cartons
by a cartoning machine made by Langenpac
B.V, Wijchen, a company in the Langen
Group. After this, two adhesive dots are ap-
plied to close the two box side fl aps. The
packaging machine, which is fi tted with a
top-loading picker robot and runs fi ve days a
week in three-shift operation, runs at a
throughput of between 50 and 70 packs per
minute depending on the format. This rate is
below the machine’s maximum capacity, but
the processing speed is limited by the capa-
bilities of the downstream check weighing
station.
The Mondelez International plant in
Herentals – one of the four Belgian produc-
tion locations belonging to the group – was,
in December 2012, one of the fi rst European
users to start operating one of the proto-
types of the Freedom system which had
been introduced onto the market shortly be-
fore. After a successful one-year trial run,
this was replaced by a production series
model in January 2014. The so-called Leo
line is one of the fi ve main production lines
quires a short warm-up time of around 15
minutes. The melting section is fed automat-
ically from a 60 kg storage tank which is lo-
cated immediately behind the device in the
Mondelez works.
The fl ow paths to the applicators are
also short since the compact central unit
weighing around 45 kg can be individually
fi tted in the vicinity of the applicators with
the help of the included mounting adapter.
The central unit has dimensions of 838 ×
533 × 279 mm (W × H × D). In Herentals the
feed hoses are just under 2 m long.
The melter itself is mounted at head
height above the product outfeed belt.
Decision criteria - workplace safety
The enclosed nature of the system results in
considerable benefi ts. Since the hot adhe-
sive is not subject to any infl uences from the
environment, residual charring, which is un-
avoidable in the case of tank melting devi-
ces, is eliminated. Apart from this, job safety
is increased for the machine operators. For
the Mondelez technicians this was the main
reason for the investment decision. The dan-
Safety for the Leo lineParticularly clever
Leo is the trade name for
the milk-chocolate-covered,
cream-filled crispy waffles that
are produced as part of the Milka
range by the foodstuffs company Mondel ez
International (formerly Kraft Foods) at their Belgian location in Herentals. The company
operates worldwide, but production in Herentals is mainly for the local market. Glueing of
the secondary packaging was recently optimized using the innovative Freedom tank-less
hotmelt application system from Nordson.
at the location, which mainly produces cho-
colate products and employs between 150
and 200 people depending on the season. It
is located together with its sister plant,
which specializes in biscuit products, in the
town of 27,000 inhabitants.
The US American adhesive technology
specialist, with its headquarters in Westlake/
Ohio and its European headquarters in Er-
krath, Germany, has been equipping the fa-
cility in Flanders for many years. There are a
total of 12 end-of-line solutions from Nord-
son currently in operation there. The Free-
dom system installed most recently is not
only the most modern, but also uses a com-
pletely new concept that is defi ned by its
compactness and the enclosed nature of the
system.
Short Paths
The central component is the melter and its
included pump which does away with a con-
ventional tank and only keeps the adhesive
quantity actually required at the processing
temperature. It works with a melting capa-
city of up to 12 kg per hour in a similar man-
ner to a fl ow-through heater and only re-
Particularly clever: the box is turned into a mini-display by folding
Title story
VR interpack 2014 Special VERPACKUNGS-RUNDSCHAU 7 E
PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY
Nordson at interpack:Hall 14, stand D15
ger of being burnt due to carelessness when
refilling hotmelt could never be completely
excluded when using the previous tank-
based device.
A further positive effect of the tank-
less hotmelt adhesive application system is
that a 30 per cent reduction in energy con-
sumption was also achieved due to the as-
required melting process. Savings in adhe-
sive consumption on the order of between
30 and 60 per cent are also possible, in par-
ticular through use of the integrated EcoBe-
ad pattern control system, which is however
not being used in this particular case. Due to
the low applied quantity material savings are
not at the centre of attention for Mondelez ,
but nevertheless are not insignificant at just
under 16 per cent. It should also be pointed
out that one filling of the storage tank often
lasts for months.
Self-cleaning applicators
Placement of the four adhesive points is car-
ried out by two pneumatic applicators of the
new MiniBlue II SureBead type. The series
was introduced into the market in December
last year and represents a further advance-
ment of the applicators, which are known as
“endurance sprinters”. They are now
equipped with a needle-seat module and are
self-cleaning. This means that they prevent
contamination, and, because they are com-
pletely insulated, they also contribute to
workplace safety. The applicators work with
a minimum cycle time of 2 ms and achieve a
service life of more than 100 million cycles,
depending on the hotmelt adhesive being
used.
The electronic Optix controller is wor-
thy of special mention. It has been equipped
with a clearly laid-out 7“ color touchscreen
for simple operation and continuous process
monitoring. The display not only provides
detailed diagnostics of the entire processing
sequence, including error messages, it also
features component detection which in-
cludes the corresponding part numbers for
use when purchasing spare parts.
The Freedom application system is
completed with the new RediFlex hoses. Be-
cause of their significantly reduced diameter
they are considerably more pliant. They also
feature a patented chlorine-free insulation.
To give flexible mounting options, special
brackets that can slide along the hose were
developed.
The Freedom tankless hotmelt application system has been installed at head height above the product outfeed belt.
Phot
os: K
imbe
rly W
ittlie
b
Positive practical results
Gert Janssens, Technical Maintenance Coor-
dinator at Mondelez International in Heren-
tals, and his colleague Wim Bruynincks,
Technical Team Leader, both with many years
of practical experience, are extremely happy
with the newly installed end-of-line adhesive
application: “The Freedom system has com-
pletely fulfilled our main aim of increasing
workplace safety for the operating person-
nel. The units work without any problems
and the time required for handling has been
considerably reduced.
A particularly positive point is the sub-
stantial decrease in contamination. The
bond quality is very good. Even the irritating
fine threads, which we call angel hair, hardly
ever appear anymore.“ Bernd Neumann ■❭
Two self-cleaning applicators of the new MiniBlue II SureBead type apply two adhesive dots to each side.
All process-relevant data is displayed on the generously-dimensioned Optix display.
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